Welcome to Luang Prabang, the former royal capital of Laos!
Nestled in a valley at the confluence of two rivers, this small city is full of ancient temples and historic sites. From its beautiful mountain views to its vibrant night market and delicious local cuisine (and lots of awesome cafes and restaurants), there’s something for everyone here. Whether you’re looking for an adventure or just want to enjoy some peace and quiet, Luang Prabang will certainly not disappoint.
This travel guide provides all the essential information you need to make your trip to Luang Prabang unforgettable. So get ready to explore one of Southeast Asia’s most charming cities!
It’s also one of our favorite cities in Southeast Asia for remote work.

Luang Prabang for Digital Nomads
Luang Prabang is a beautiful, small city in the north of Laos.
In January 2023, we went there for the first time. Having traveled extensively all around the region, and Asia in general, we immediately felt like we had discovered a true gem. The city is quiet and small, yet it offers better food than many (most?) much bigger cities. Another thing you can’t miss is its beauty. It’s charming! Last but not least — it does feel like a real city, not a tourist city. At least now, in 2023.
Getting to Luang Prabang, Laos
Here are two best ways to get to Luang Prabang, Laos.
- High-speed railway from Vientiane and Vang Vieng;
- Direct flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi;
In 2023, I wouldn’t recommend traveling overland, by bus or minivan. The road quality in Laos is one of the worst in Southeast Asia. The newly-built high-speed railway is a much better option for traveling in Laos. Alternatively, you can always fly – a little bit more than an hour on the plane, and you can get from Bangkok to Luang Prabang.
Getting From Bangkok to Laos the Cheapest Way
There are frequent trains from Bangkok to Nong Khai.
In 2023, the cheapest ticket costs around 250 THB / 7 EUR. Nong Khai is right on the border between Thailand and Laos. From the train station it’s only a short walk – around 1 kilometer – until the border crossing. You can walk until there. Go through Thai immigration. Then you have to take a bus to cross the bridge into Laos. In 2023, it cost me 30 THB / 0.8 EUR. And from there you can take a public bus to Vientiane.
The capital of Laos – Vientiane – is less than 20 kilometers away from the border.
There is a public bus, which can take you all the way until the city center of Vientiane. If you need cash, you can get it either on the Thai side of the border or on the Lao side of the border — there are money exchange offices. Most likely, it will be possible to pay also in dollars or Thai bahts.
- There is a train from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. It’s better to book it in advance. You may not get a ticket otherwise. You can book it on https://12go.asia/en. Or from a tour agent. In 2023, it wasn’t possible to do it yourself, as a foreigner; unless you have a Lao bank account.
- It may not be the cheapest way to get to Luang Prabang. Because the train station is outside the city of Vientiane. And because you may have to stay in the city an extra day or two, if you haven’t booked a train ticket and you can’t get it at the last-minute.
- Vientiane is a nice place for a week or two. Thanks to good food and beautiful temples.
- Udon Thani is a nice place for a week or two. It’s a city in Thailand, near the border between Thailand and Laos. The whole region of Isan (Northeast Thailand) is very little explored by tourists.
Luang Prabang Digital Nomad Basics
Is it suitable for long stay? Top season? Highlights?
Long-Stay Destination
It’s great for long stays. We recommend you to stay for 2-4 weeks, or more. Mostly thanks to great food availability, beautiful architecture and overall peaceful vibe of the city. It works great also as a short-stay destination; if you don’t have that much time or have different plans.
Highlights
The availability of quality food. And beautiful cafes. Pleasant weather during the winter months. Architecture. Kuang Si Falls (waterfall), widely referred to as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Laos.
Top Season
The best time to visit Luang Prabang is from November to February, when the weather is dry and cool, making it ideal for outdoor activities. Expect sunny days, and something like + 30C during the day, and + 15, +20C during the night.
Cost of living – $
Luang Prabang is cheaper than most of the popular cities in Thailand. A coffee or a pot of tea in a nice place starts at 1 EUR, a meal – 1-2 EUR, double room – 15 EUR, massage – 4-5 EUR.
Food
There are a few small grocery stores, some simple local eateries and A LOT of stylish cafes and small restaurants. Many of the latter offer food at prices like the cheapest food stalls in Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia (starting from 1-2 EUR per meal).
Getting Around
The city is walkable. In 1-2 kilometers you have shops, restaurants, Mekong river, the main sunset viewpoint of Luang Prabang, beautiful temples, 1 or 2 gyms (depending on where you stay). Rental bicycles are the cheapest mode of transportation in Luang Prabang. You can rent a bicycle in Luang Prabang starting from 2 EUR/day. There are also “tuk-tuk taxis”.
Internet in Luang Prabang
In 2023, internet quality in Luang Prabang is not great, but it’s okay.
I could upload a 5-10 GB video to Youtube in 30 – 120 minutes.
It is not hard to find internet that works, but the speeds may vary a lot. If internet speed matters to you greatly, get in touch with the owners of the place you plan to stay in advance, to learn more of the internet speeds in that place. You can ask them to send you a screenshot of a speed test.
Mobile internet quality is about the same.
See the average mobile internet and fixed broadband speeds here (by country). Don’t assume that you’ll be getting the same speed everywhere in the country.
Where to Stay in Luang Prabang?
Luang Prabang is a city with population of around 55,000.
It’s a pretty small place and there is one best area where to stay in Luang Prabang – anywhere near (within 1 kilometer) from Luang Prabang Night Market. Sisavangvong Road is the main road in the old district of Luang Prabang, this is the road with most cafes, restaurants, etc. You are also near Mekong river, the beautiful Phousi Hill and the imposing Royal Palace of Luang Prabang.
Lao Lu Lodge

BOOK ONLINE: Agoda
We spent 3 weeks in this popular guest house in Luang Prabang.
Situated on a very quiet road, and right next to the local morning market, it’s a surprisingly homely place. You don’t feel like you are only 25 meters away from the main market, because you don’t hear it, yet you are so, so centrally located. 1 minute of walking and you are by Mekong river, 2 minutes in opposite direction – you are at night market or in on of the cool cafes on the Sisavangvong Road.
Every room has a table with a chair or two. There is a common kitchen / cafe are, where you can get hot water, tea, coffee, bananas. There are a few tables outside your room, where you can sit and work. We loved the big bathroom and tranquility of the place. The only thing we didn’t like is lighting in the rooms (it’s quite dark in the evenings). There is a very good, small massage parlour in 10 meters.
Internet in Laos can be okay, and it can be very bad – both mobile internet and WiFi in hotels, guest houses, cafes. In this guest house, the internet was working 95% of the time.
Getting Around in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a walkable city.
In 1-2 kilometers you have shops, restaurants, Mekong river, beautiful temples, 1 or 2 gyms, Phousi Hill. The latter is one of two most popular sunset spots in Luang Prabang. The other popular sunset spot is at the place, where Mekong river meets Nam Khan river. You have to cross a bamboo bridge to get there.
Bicycle is the cheapest mode of transportation in Luang Prabang.
You can rent a bicycle in Luang Prabang starting from 2 EUR/day.
There are also “tuk-tuk taxis”.
Getting From Luang Prabang Airport to City
The most popular option is a shared minivan.
It is also the cheapest option to get from Luang Prabang airport to city. You just buy a ticket for a few euros, and get on a minivan a few minutes later. The ticket counter is right next to the airport exit. The minivan takes everyone to their hotel in Luang Prabang city.
Stay Connected
For internet abroad we use Airalo eSIM service
Stay Protected
Travel insurance for digital nomads – SafetyWing
Book Flights
Book safe flights with Kiwi.com Guarantee
Where to Eat in Luang Prabang?
Here are some of our recommendations.
- Break for A Bread. Our everyday lunch place. Amazing banh mi sandwiches, Luang Prabang sausage, Vietnamese coffee and Lao coffee, lemongrass drinks.
- Timeless Cafe. Delicious Khao Soi Luang Prabang.
- Formula B. Very good cheese cakes. And if you are into sweet coffees / deserts, try Cloud 9 coffee drink; it’s strong and it’s super sweet, and it looks stunning. Stunning looking coffee? Yes, I just said it.
- T56 Cafe & Bar. Pastries. Coffee. Tea. British afternoon tea.
- Bamboo Garden Restaurant. Quality. Price. Taste. People. 5/5 local food.
- Joma Bakery Café. Sandwiches, pastry, coffee and healthy food.
- Le Café Patrimoine. Tea. Coffee. Pastries. Asian and European food.
- Two Little Birds Cafe. Smoothie bowls. Vegan-friendly.
- Le Petit Prince Cafe. Korean restaurant.
- Chaleunphone restaurant. Cheap, tasty Asian food.

Best Things to Do in Luang Prabang
What to do in Luang Prabang?
We spent 3 weeks just eating. No joking. This was one of the best months in 10 years of travel for us, food-wise. So much good food, whoa! But if you want to do something more than just eat good food in Luang Prabang, here are some of the Luang Prabang top sites / top things to do:
- Visit the Wat Xieng Thong temple.
- Climb Mount Phousi. It’s the most popular sunset spot in Luang Prabang. Go an hour earlier, if you want to avoid crowds and enjoy some peace up the hill. Or, simply to take the best spot.
- Visit the Royal Palace Museum.
- Take a boat trip on the Mekong river. Sunset boat trips are the most popular, but you can go any time you want. Book a trip in advance or just head to the river.
- Check out the Luang Prabang night market. Same spot. Same time, as soon as it starts getting dark. Every night. It’s amazing. Similar to the ones in Chiang Rai and Krabi Town in Thailand.
- Visit the Kuang Si Waterfall. The most popular waterfall in Laos is BEAUTIFUL. We went there. We did so by renting a scooter. You can also join other people and go with a tuk-tuk, or get yourself a private tuk-tuk.
- Go shopping at local markets. If you are thinking of clothing or souvenirs, go to the same night market. At one end of the market there is food, the rest (the biggest part) is a long street lined with clothing and souvenir sellers. Some sell some very unique souvenirs.
- Experience evening performance of traditional music and dance. Most people go to the Royal Ballet Theatre for that. We haven’t been, so I can’t comment from our own experience.
9. Relax in nature at Tat Kaek & Pak Ou Caves.
Have you been to Laos? Did you visit Luang Prabang? What was your experience? Anything you would add to this guide to Luang Prabang for digital nomads?